A Father's Love
by iamtheunknown15
Summary: When House and Thirteen’s daughter suddenly falls ill with an unknown disorder, will the team be able to save her? Will House emotionally be able to treat his own child?
1. Author's Note

Readers,

Okay, so I have an idea for what will be my first fanfiction. Now, I have not yet begun writing this, nor do I know when I will begin writing, but I figure I'd pitch the idea for feedback:

First of all, it's a House M.D., House/Thirteen pairing fanfiction. It will be placed probably 4-6 years in the future, with flashbacks. In terms of Thirteen's Huntington's, she will be on some treatment that, to this point, has stunted the progression of her disease for an unknown amount of time. She is only displaying mild symptoms, but she is not definitely cured.

House and Thirteen are married in this fanfic and have a young daughter (probably 5 years of age). Both of them still work at Princeton Plainsboro as do Cuddy, Foreman, Chase, Cameron, Taub (in this fic, there I'll probably have Kutner too). Their daughter is a constant and well-loved visitor of the hospital, and even at a young age, has a great interest in medicine.

Anyway, here's the concept: When House and Thirteen's daughter suddenly falls ill with an unknown disorder, will the team be able to save her? Will House emotionally be able to treat his own child?

Any comments?

Biologygirl06


	2. Chapter 1: Child at Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.

Here's my first chapter. It's very non-eventful… kind of like a trial run. More background on what has happened in the past 5 years to come. Reviews are welcome!

**Chapter 1: Child at Heart**

A car swerved swiftly into a handicapped parking place at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, resulting in the shriek and discipline of the front seat passenger, the giggle of the backseat, and the smirk of the driver.

"House! Are you absolutely insane? You could have hit that car had you moved another inch. Ada's with us!"

"Relax, Thirteen. Look at her face." House turned and gestured towards the little, giggling girl in the back. "She loved it."

He received a scowl from Thirteen. "Alright, alright," House said, glancing towards Ada for her audience and applying his biggest pout, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." He "discreetly" showed Ada his crossed fingers.

Thirteen mustered a smile at her husband and daughter. "Alright, good enough. Now, come on! Cuddy will have your head if we're late again."

"Not when she sees that face she won't," said House, gesturing towards Ada. Thirteen smiled. He was actually correct. Everyone in the hospital loved Ada. She was a great kid. Not that she was perfect, by any means; she had tantrums like any other five-year-old, was a mess half the time, and her penchant for being sarcastic definitely mirrored House. However she was also compassionate, very bright, and rather mature for her age.

Thirteen looked up, returning from her thoughts, to see Ada encouraging House to leave the car. "Come on, Daddy, you promised to show me the MRI machine today!"

"But Ada," House playfully whined, "we could get ice cream at the cafeteria. They have chocolate."

Ada copied the pout House had done minutes before. "Please?"

"Drat! I never should have taught you that. You're only supposed to use that on your mother." Thirteen smiled and watched as Ada pulled on House's jacket until he left the car. She herself exited and walked over beside House. The family headed towards the hospital doors.

"A girl who would rather look at a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine than get chocolate ice cream," she mused playfully to House, "Amazing! A five-year-old more mature than a fifty-five year old." House smirked and kissed her on the cheek.

"Physically old, child at heart, Sweet Thang," he replied, and the two laughed, hand in hand, up into Princeton Plainsboro with their daughter leading the way.


	3. Chapter 2: Dr House Jr

I do not own House M.D.

Here's just another chapter. Next one will be poignant, I promise. I just have to figure out what I'm going to have Ada ill with. I am making all diseases in this story as accurate as possible.

**Chapter 2: Dr. House Jr.**

Ada House sauntered into Princeton Plainsboro, pigtail bouncing and shoe laces untied. She raced over towards the elevator, wanting to see the team as soon as possible. All of a sudden she banged into someone and fell to the ground.

Looking up, she saw Lisa Cuddy's hand extended out to help her up, a smile on her face. "Careful there, Ada. We better tie those shoe laces. We wouldn't want another accident."

"Well, we'd be in the right place," stated House, as he and Thirteen approached Ada and Cuddy. Cuddy sighed and continued to tie the little girl's shoes.

"Thanks Dr. Cuddy," said Thirteen, "She's a little overexcited today. House is showing her the MRI machine."

"Well, you might actually have a purpose for that today," responded Cuddy, "37-year-old female, new case. The team's upstairs with her file. Solve this one quickly and you'll be able to show Ada the clinic too. Wouldn't that be fun?"

House frowned and quickly headed to the elevator before Cuddy could add any other unwanted tasks to his list.

***

"Good morning minions," House said as he, Thirteen, and Ada entered the meeting room. Taub, Kutner, and Foreman glanced up from the files.

"37 year old female went into shock at her daughter's soccer game; has skin legions and renal failure resulting in oliguria," rambled Foreman.

"You didn't say hello to our doctor-in-training," replied Kutner with a smile, as he gestured towards Ada. She was dressed in a too-large set of scrubs and had a stethoscope draped over her neck.

"Someone has to focus on the case," said the neurologist. Thirteen glared at him. "Sorry," he shrugged.

"Well, as it is so important to you Foreman, why don't you get us started off?" asked House.

"My guess is bacterial," said Foreman, "Could be cryptococcosis; says here that she gardens."

"Also says that she just got out of the hospital for pneumonia. Could have picked something up there," added Taub.

"Candida infection," said Thirteen, "Candidiasis can cause legions on the kidneys and is often spread in hospitals."

Kutner added, "We should check out her kidneys to see if there are any visible causes for the renal failure."

"Okay, Foreman and Taub get samples of the soil and check for toxins and fungi. Thirteen, biopsy a legion to check for bacterial or fungal infection. Kutner, prep her for an MRI and I will meet you down there in Imaging."

***

Ada was amazed as she watched the MRI image appear on the screen. She was sitting on next to House, who was furrowing his brow and looking at the blob on the screen.

House began, "Okay, well, there are the kidneys, and there is the renal pelvis. You have the renal artery and veins…"

"No blockages..." said Kutner, "Wait, there are some legions right there." He pointed at the screen.

"Okay, we shall check upstairs to see what the others got. Let's bring her back to her room." Ada hopped down off the stool and went into the adjoining room. The patient looked down at her and smiled. "And who might you be?"

"Do you not recognize your own doctor, Dr. House?" exclaimed House feigning shock.

"Dr. House?" the woman said, shocked and quizzically.

"The disease hasn't hit your brain, so there's no excuse for stupidity," responded House. The woman continued to look confused, and House rolled his eyes.

"This," Kutner said gesturing towards House, "is Dr. House. This is his daughter."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Must be the lack of sleep," laughed the patient.

"Or the lack of brain cells," mumbled House.

***

"Soil showed up negative for Cryptococcus and there were no other noticeable toxins," relayed Foreman.

"What did the MRI show?" asked Taub

"There are legions on the kidneys' renal cortex," Ada replied, proud of her newfound knowledge.

"That makes sense," said Thirteen walking in, "Her skin turned up positive for a Candidiasis infection.

"Give her 600 mg of Fluconazole. We are heading home. Update tomorrow."

***

In the lobby, Ada caught sight of her favorite hospital staffer.

"Uncle Wilson!" she shouted, running over to him. Wilson caught her in a hug.

"Hello Addie. Come to check out the hospital today. She nodded.

"Daddy took me to see an MRI."

"Interesting?" She nodded again. House and Thirteen approached again.

"Gosh this cane is a hindrance in chasing down young children," stated House.

"Where are you guys off to?" asked Wilson.

"Just heading home now. I have to figure out what to make for dinner," Thirteen responded, "Gosh, I sound like such a mom."

Wilson smiled. "How about I take Ada out to dinner tonight. We'll have fun and it'll give you two some time alone."

"I would like that," said House, wiggling his eyebrows at Thirteen, who blushed.

"Alright, just don't bring her home too, too late. She has school in the morning," said Thirteen.

"Bring her home as late as you want," shouted House as he and Thirteen headed to the car.

Wilson smiled and looked down at Ada. "How about some Friendly's," he asked, "I'm in the mood for a Monster Mash Sundae. Ada smiled, grabbed his hand, and they headed for Wilson's car.


	4. Chapter 3: I Love You More

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.

Okay, so I figured out what is going to be wrong with Ada. I'm not sure if this kind of situation would ever occur, but the symptoms and individual problems in themselves are real. You'll just have to wait and see what they all turn out to be  Hope you enjoy and please send feedback.

**Chapter 3: I Love You More**

Thirteen was cuddled up next to House, her head resting on his chest while he lightly rubbed her bare shoulders.

"So, aren't you glad that Wilson took Ada," he questioned. She smiled.

"She had a lot of fun today, didn't she?"

"I would say so. You should have seen her face looking at the MRI. Looks like we'll have a med student on our hands."

"Well, with genes like ours…" Thirteen started. This was a trait she didn't mind passing on. She couldn't imagine the absolute pain she'd be in if Ada had wound up with Huntington's. She squinted her eyes tightly, trying to erase from her mind the fact that that was ever a possibility.

Ironically, Thirteen hands began to shake… so slightly that she wondered if House would even notice.

He did of course and looked down at her with concern, a look rarely found on his face. He gently grasped her hands. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Thirteen responded, stuttering a bit with nervousness.

"Has this been happening a lot recently?"

"Not really. The treatment has been going really well. I've only had little fits of shaking every couple weeks." Thirteen looked deeply into House's eyes, recognizing his fear, "Don't worry. I report all of it. They say it's a very positive result, shaking so little."

The doorbell rang. House pulled on a robe and Thirteen slipped into her nightgown. As they headed to get the door, House twined his hand with Thirteen's, which was no longer shaking.

***

House and Thirteen met Wilson at the door, who held a sleeping Ada in his arms. He gently handed the girl over to Thirteen. "We had a good time. I took her to Friendly's and we had mozzarella sticks and Monster Mash Sundaes, my favorite."

"Why, you must have fit right in," House teased.

"Thank you so much, Wilson. By the looks of it, she had a great time," Thirteen said.

"My pleasure. Alright, I'll let you get her to bed. See you guys tomorrow," he said, turning to leave.

"Thank you Uncle Wilson," Ada yawned. Wilson smiled and continued on his way.

"Alright, Little Girl," Thirteen started, "Let us get you ready for bed." They headed to Ada's room and opened her pajama drawer. Thirteen pulled out a pair with rainbows, smiles, and ponies. "Look! Daddy's favorite things," she joked, earning Ada's laugh. They then brushed the little girl's teeth and she hopped into bed. "Good night, Sweetheart," said Thirteen as she tucked her daughter in, "I love you."

"Night, Mommy. I love you too. Could you get Daddy, please?" Thirteen smiled and headed into the hallway. In a minute, House entered Ada's room.

"Hear you want to see your cooler parent," he said, sitting on his daughter's bed. He examined her smile for a second. "Looks like you missed a canine when you brushed."

"Nope, you must just be getting old. Have you considered glasses?"

House feigned hurt by grabbing his heart. "Well, I'm not too old to do this." He began to tickle her, exhibiting the girl's wild laughter. He stopped kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Ada."

"Night Daddy. I love you."

"I love you more," he said, exiting her room to rejoin Thirteen.

***

Taub, Foreman, Kutner, and Thirteen sat in the meeting room, pondering over a new case. House was in the clinic, held against his will by the threats of Lisa Cuddy.

"I have to go pick up Ada from school," said Thirteen, getting up from her seat, "Check her pancreas in response to the excess glucose levels."

"No, you stay," said Cuddy entering the room, "I'll go pick her up. I have to get Rachel anyway. House is on his way up here. He says you're all idiots and are missing something exciting. You would not want to miss what it is, would you?"

"Thanks Dr. Cuddy," Thirteen smiled.

Cuddy's car pulled into the parking lot of Princeton Township Elementary. She looked up to see Ada and Rachel skipping rope on the playground. She always found it funny that her daughter and House's daughter managed to become friends. Well, Rachel actually looked after Ada (who was a couple grades lower) much like Cuddy looked after House (a couple of maturity levels lower).

"Hi Mom," yelled Rachel, "Can we play for a little longer? William's starting up a game of tag."

"Sure," shouted back Cuddy. After all, she wasn't particularly anxious to get back to the mounds of paperwork that sat on her desk today. She grabbed a medical journal from her purse, took a seat on a nearby bench, and started reading.

***

Cuddy stopped reading her magazine. It had been about fifteen minutes and she should get back to work. The nanny would be wondering where she was. She looked up, only to be shocked by what she saw.

Standing frozen in the middle of the playground, despite all of the running, playing children around her, was Ada. Cuddy watched a within seconds, the girl turned from white to red to purple to blue. She watched as the girl grasped at her neck and throat, looking as though she couldn't breathe. "Does she have asthma," thought Cuddy. All of a sudden, Ada fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Oh God!" Cuddy thought, running over to the girl. "Someone call 911!" she yelled desperately, beginning CPR.

***

"I can't believe you didn't realize this was lupus!" stated House.

The team sighed. Of course this is what House would be so excited over. All of a sudden, Thirteen's cell phone began to ring. She bent down to pick it up, receiving a scowl from House. "It will just take a minute. Continue on your tangent," she responded.

"It is never lupus! And then when it is, you don't tell me. What kind of team are you? Thirteen, I'm sure whatever conversation you're having with your secret affair is nowhere near as interesting as this…" He stopped, looking over at his wife.

Thirteen looked frozen, her face was white with fear and her shaking hand holding the phone to her ear.

"It's…A…Ada," she managed to chock out, "car…cardiac arrest."


	5. Chapter 4: The Other Side of the MRI

**Chapter 4: The Other Side of the MRI**

Ada House was paler than the white hospital sheets she lay on. She was unconscious, with various tubes and wires tying her to nearby machines. She looked like a ghost.

"She's right in here," Cuddy said, leading House and Thirteen to their daughter's room, "It happened within seconds. She stopped, turned blue, and then, all of a sudden, she was on the ground. She never lost a pulse, though it was horribly shallow when I check. I started CPR right away and continued until the ambulance arrived with the defibrillator. We still don't know what caused it though.

Thirteen stopped listening and rushed over to Ada's bed. She held Ada's limp hand and pushed her hand through her brown curls while holding back tears. "A…Ada, Sweetheart. Pl…ease wake up Ada. It's g… it's going to be okay."

House just stood there, his face unreadable. He looked at his wife, as she crumbled before him. Then he looked at his daughter, so small and sickly. He turned to Cuddy.

"I'm taking the case."

***

"Five-year-old female. Cardiac arrest, no past health problems. Came on after exercise," House said as he came back into the meeting room. The team had been waiting nervously.

"You're taking this case," asked Foreman skeptically, "With family relations, shouldn't you not…"

"I'm taking the case," House interrupted, "Thirteen's not going to be assisting on the team. She's playing the role of parent and guardian. Now, what can cause this." House quickly picked up a marker, trying to detach himself from the fact he was treating his daughter.

"Massive 3rd-space fluid losses could cause cardiac shock. We should see if she has shown any symptoms of pancreatitis," Taub said.

"It could be an unknown cardiac disorder. The physical stress of exercise could have finally aggravated something," said Kutner, "Cardiac tumor, maybe?"

"Could be damage to the heart muscles," Foreman added, "Even a recent, minor injury could have adverse effects."

"Kutner, get a patient history and symptoms list. Blood sample too to check her levels; Foreman and Taub, check the house and the school for possible toxins," House paused. Remembering something, he reaching into his pocket. "Here are my keys," he said before turning back to the board.

***

"You're going to feel a little pinch, Ada," said Kutner as he inserted a needle into her arm. He began to draw blood samples. "So, when did you start to feel sick."

"Just when I was playing tag; I was running away from Rachel and my chest felt really tight, like someone was sitting on it, so I stopped. Then I couldn't breathe."

"Has she shown any symptoms of illness lately, Thirteen. We were thinking pancreatitis. Any fever, abdominal pain recently?"

Thirteen looked up, "She was running a slight fever a few days ago, but she's been fine other than that. Nothing until now."

"How do you feel right now, Ada?"

"My head hurts."

"Does it hurt when I do this," asked Kutner, as he gently pressed on the girl's abdomen. Ada winced. "I'll take that as a yes. Alright, I'm going to go test this blood sample." He smiled at Ada and gently touched Thirteen's should before leaving the room.

***

"Her blood showed up with a high WBC count. Another sign of pancreatitis," said Kutner, entering the meeting room.

"The school didn't seem to have any toxins nor did your… her apartment," Foreman corrected himself, knowing House would want to keep himself separated.

"Alright," said House, "we'll run an MRI to look at her pancreas. If nothing shows up, we'll run a stress test to check her cardiac muscles." He grabbed his cane a headed down the hall.

***

Sitting in Imaging, House glanced down to the empty stool next to him. It had been only yesterday that Ada sat there instead of in machine the next room over.

"Alright, Ada," Kutner said through the speaker, "We've just going to take a look around. Try to stay still..."

"Or the image will come up blurry," Ada smiled.

The image appeared on the screen and Kutner began to scan down to the pancreas. "It's inflamed," he replied, "I don't see any gallstones in the duct, but they could be too small to notice."

"Treat her for pancreatitis and I'll schedule her for surgery of the removal of the organ," House said, rubbing his chin. He then headed off to find Chase.

***

House walked down the hallway to Ada's room, lost in his own thoughts. Pancreatitis would be a great diagnosis. Not that he wanted his daughter to be walking around without a pancreas, but it had the best prognosis out of all of the things that could have caused cardiac arrest. He realized he was smiling a bit out of relief. She would be okay.

The smile was torn off of House's face as he entered Ada's room. "She can't feel her legs!" Thirteen cried out frantically.

This was definitely not pancreatitis.


	6. Chapter 5: Culprit Patient

Disclaimer: I own nothing except a Merck Manuel

It's kind of brief, but I think there needs to be a break before the next scene. I'll try to update soon, maybe even later. Comments welcome.

**Chapter 5: Culprit = Patient**

House and Kutner were back in the MRI Imaging Room. Thirteen had come along too this time, as she refused to both release House's hand and leave her daughter for a second. Ada looked rather scared this time, as they again backed her into the machine.

"Ada, you may be in there a bit longer this time," said Kutner more solemnly, "Just try to stay relaxed."

House immediately scanned down to Ada's pancreas. It looked worse with more legions. Still no noticeable gallstones, which wasn't surprising since it was pancreatitis. He then moved up towards the heart… something else must have caused the cardiac arrest. House was shocked with what he saw.

There was muscle wall damage all over the heart. Thirteen saw this too, and she squeezed his hand tighter and stifled a sob. House then moved to look at the sciatic nerves extending off of the lumbar vertebrae. If there had somehow been an injury to them (though House had no idea how this could have occurred), sensory process could have been damaged.

House breathed in deeply. All over the nerves were legions. He knew what it was, but Foreman's next update would assure him.

"We retested her blood. Everything seems the same, except her WBC count has increased dramatically. It's off the chart. She has lymphocytosis."

House sighed and looked down at the ground. "Gullain-Barre Syndrome," he stated, "Her body is doing this to itself."

***

Everyone was in the meeting room, sitting around the white board. The team was there: Foreman, Taub, and Kutner (Thirteen was back with Ada). Cuddy and Wilson. Even Cameron and Chase had come up of ER and Surgery. House stood silently next to the white board, lost in his thoughts. He then cleared his throat and began:

"The…patient has Gullain-Barre Syndrome. Her immune system has begun to attack her body. As of now, it has caused legions on her pancreas, cardiac muscle damage resulting in heart failure, and legions on the sciatic nerves causing sensory loss. It will continue to progress and attack other organs unless we can find the cause. Gullain-Barre has no known cause, however we can figure out what has caused the lymphocytosis. Hopefully, that would end the immune system hyper-drive."

"Leukemia can cause lymphocytosis," whispered Wilson. House, hesitating, wrote it on the board.

"A bacterial infection is also a cause," Foreman added, "But we've tested her already for the most probable and check the house and school for bacteria in our toxin search."

"The most common cause for lymphocytosis is a virus," Cameron added, "It's most probable that that's the cause."

"There are also thousands of viruses out there that we'd need to check for," contradicted Chase, "We'd never have enough time, considering her state."

"The symptoms of her virus could be the same as the symptoms of Gullain-Barre's. It's all we got though… what can cause fever, head ache, muscle ache in upper limbs, internal legions, heart failure…" House started.

"Dengue fever," Taub responded. House began to write.

"Yellow fever," added Cuddy.

Kutner looked towards House, "epidemic gastroenteritis virus." House wrote that and the team continued to shout out virus strains.

A minute later, Foreman looked up from the file. "Herpes virus," he added.

House froze. "Are you trying to suggest to me," House fumed, "that MY five-year-old contracted a sexually transmitted disease?"

"It could happen House. You don't see her at school," Foreman continued nervously, "it…it could have even been spread during a session of abuse." House turned very angry red and began to head towards Foreman, his fist clenched and his eyes blazing. Cuddy stuck her arm out to restrain him.

"House," she started soothingly, "wait a…" She was interrupted by the beeping of House's pager. He exhaled and looked at the message.

"Hemorrhagic fever. She's bleeding internally. Get her into emergency surgery.


	7. Chapter 6: My Angel, My World

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my Merck Manuel and an imagination.

I did have time to write again tonight. I hope you enjoy. Please comment :)

**Chapter 6: My Angel, My World**

Gregory House stared blankly at the wall of his office while his daughter was in emergency surgery. All of her symptoms were flying through his head as he tried desperately to figure out their cause. House wasn't tossing a ball up in the air or watching television as he did whilst diagnosing other patients. He was using all of his energy just to remain functioning enough to contemplate the case.

As thoughts of hemorrhagic fever, cardiac failure, lymphocytosis, and various obscure viruses raced through his head, he glanced down at his desk. There was a picture frame. In the picture, Thirteen was holding Ada while House gave them both "bunny ears." House remembered taking that picture as though it was yesterday…

_Flashback_

_Remy Hadley-House waited impatiently for her husband to enter the room. When he did, she erupted with laughter. Standing there in a wool, red-and-green sweater with DANCING, SMILING REINDEER all over it, was House. Who would had every thought it was possible to get him to wear something… festive, with reindeer none the less._

_House frowned, until he saw Ada enter the room, dressed in a sparkly red dress with snowflake tights underneath. She was twirling in circles, apparently mesmerized by the way the sparkles on her dress looked when she spun. Remy called her attention. "Ada, doesn't Daddy look handsome?"_

_Ada stopped spinning long enough to take a look at her father. Her eyes widened in shock. "What are you wearing?!? Are those reindeer?" she giggled._

"_Enjoy the festiveness, kid," House said with a slight smile, "It will NEVER happen again."_

"_Alright, I have the camera set on timer," said Remy, who had moved across the room to the end table and camera, "Now, let's make this picture nice. It will be a… festive Christmas card." She moved back over to the couch and her family, placing Ada on her lap._

"_Alright, 1…2…smile!" House quickly moved his hands to make bunny ears behind Remy and Ada's heads, luckily without their notice. Remy excitedly headed towards her digital camera, but frowned when she saw the picture._

"_What's wrong with the picture, Mommy," asked Ada, concerned. Remy glared at House and showed them the picture. It looked absolutely perfect… except for the distinct, slightly deformed-looking bunny ears behind the girls' head._

_After a moment of thought, Ada stated matter-of-factly, "That's okay Mommy. You see, they kind of look like genetically-altered reindeer antlers. What's that if not festive?"_

Everyone had loved their Christmas card that year. It perfectly defined their family… cute, but a little bit kooky too. House was so lost in the memory of better times that he didn't notice Cuddy enter the room.

"House," she said softly. House jerked himself away from his thoughts and looked up at her.

"Is she oka…"

"Still in surgery. Everyone else is down there. What are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to figure out what this could be. There are so many overlapping symptoms. Any of them could have been caused by the Gullain-Barre's, so there's hardly any way of knowing…"

"House," Cuddy interrupted gently, watching as House's eyes became glassy with unshed tears.

"I ca…I can't lose her, Cuddy," House choked out, "I have to… fix this."

"We're doing everything we can," Cuddy began, also on the verge of tears. She had never seen House this shaken.

"She's my world… a little piece of Remy and me. I…I don't know how much time I have left with Remy. She's improved from the treatment… the Huntington's progression has slowed, but I still don't know. I could wake up tomorrow and everything can go downhill. We love…we love Ada more than anything else. We live for her. She's our angel… the only thing in our lives that has ever been perfectly… right. I wouldn't be able to…I can't…" House stopped, unable to finish.

Cuddy moved over behind House's desk and placed her hand on his shoulder, comfortingly. "House, you're daughter is in emergency surgery. Be there for her when she get out. She needs to be with her dad… and you need to be with her. You can continue looking at the case tomorrow. The team will handle it until then." House nodded. Cuddy looked strongly into his eyes, "She doesn't need a diagnosis right now. She needs you."

***

House headed down the silent hallway towards Surgery. Sitting outside of the room was Wilson, Kutner, and Cameron. Everyone else was being used inside for the procedure. But House did not acknowledge anyone else's presence as he walked blankly towards Thirteen, who stood directly outside the door.

At his approaching, she turned to look at House. She looked worn. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled, her eyes red and swollen.

They stared at each other for a few silent seconds, but despite the lack of words, some unseen force seemed to keep them connected. Thirteen suddenly broke down into tear. "Our baby girl is dying."

House caught her in an embrace. His hand gripped her head; he rubbed the back of her head through her dark brown hair, while holding her back securely. They used each other to support their own bodies, burrowing further into each other's chest and arms.

And for the first time, House began to cry.


	8. Chapter 7: What a Rat!

Author's Note: Well, I'm nearing to an end and all will be revealed soon. I don't think this chapter is great, but let me know what you think.

**Chapter 7: What a Rat!**

Three hours past. Kutner and Cameron had been sent to aid with the night shift for a while as they waited. Cuddy and Wilson sat across from House and Thirteen, silent to give them the space, but present if needed.

Wilson's head was in his hands. He couldn't believe little Addie was in emergency surgery. A sickening thought flashed across his mind. Maybe she had contracted something from their dinner the night before she became sick. Was there some kind of bacteria poisoning the food? No, wait, she had been tested for all those… negative. But, there's always a chance. What if?

Cuddy's heart felt as though it was broken in two. Every since Rachel came into her life, ever since she had bonded with her daughter, her whole outlook had changed. Before her daughter, when children were sick, she always felt very bad for the families. She couldn't imagine the pain they were in. However, now she could. The love she had for Rachel now allowed her to understand parents when they said they'd give up their lives for their child to recover. If Rachel had been… oh, she could now imagine what Dr. Hadley was going through.

Thirteen's eyes were glassed over with tears. She was so tired. She hadn't slept since Ada was hospitalized, but there was no way she would even attempt to sleep while Ada was in surgery. Why did this have to happen? As if everything else in their lives weren't bad enough… her Huntington's probably taking her life before fifty, House liver destined to fail… why did her daughter have to suffer too? What could she have done to stop this?

House stared blankly at the wall. What was taking so long? Had something gone wrong in the surgery? House wanted to rush into the room and do the whole thing himself, but he couldn't even move. He was frozen in fear.

***

Chase came through the surgery doors, removing his mask and gloves. Everyone looked up anxiously.

"The surgery went well." Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "The cause of the internal bleeding was her kidneys. We were able to seal the aperture; however her kidneys are still not functioning correctly. We're going to put her on dialysis for renal failure."

"Can we see her," asked Thirteen quietly.

"Of course. She's still asleep from the anesthesia but you can be there for her when she wakes up. They're transporting her back to her room right now."

***

House stared down silently at the hospital bed upon which Ada laid. Thirteen was sitting next the bed as they waited nervously for her to awaken. House walked over towards his daughter and adjusted the tubes on the dialysis machine, trying to pass the time.

Ada's heavy eyelids began to open and she formed a tired smile at her parents. "My tummy hurts," she said drowsily.

"I know," Thirteen responded comfortingly, gently stroking her head, "You had to have surgery on your kidneys, but Chase and the team was able to fix them. You're okay, and we'll have Daddy give you some more medicine for the pain in a little bit."

Ada's eyes brightened upon seeing her father. "Daddy, you're here!" she said with all of the excitement she could muster.

Thirteen smiled. "I've been here a while. I'm going to go get some coffee and give you two some time together." She stood and gestured towards her chair, offering it to House. He smiled weakly and sat. He picked up one of Ada's waxy little hands in his own.

"So…uh, you never did get a chance to tell me how school was yesterday. Didn't you guys have a special event or something?" How long ago that seemed.

Ada nodded excitedly. "Uh huh! We had show-and-tell. It was so cool Daddy! Mommy let me take in her stethoscope and I showed the whole class how to use it. But that wasn't even the coolest thing. My friend, Takota, he brought in his pet rat. His grandparents sent it to him. It's so cool. He taught it tricks and…" While his daughter rambled on, House suddenly experienced one of his infamous epiphanies.

"Takota," he mused to his daughter, "that's an interesting name. Is your friend's grandparents from a reserve.

"Yep. In South Dakota. That's where the rat is from. Isn't that so cool!"

"Yep," said House smiling, "That rat is great!"

Author's Note: Don't worry. The significance of the rat and its being from a Native American reserve will be revealed next chapter.


	9. Chapter 8: An Answer in part

Disclaimer: I own nothing except a Merck Manuel and an imagination

Author's Note: Sorry for not updating in a while…exams. Here's a short chapter. I'll probably add another later today. Also, thanks so much to all of those who reviewed so far. As this is my first story, it's really encouraging. For those who inquired, the pairing focus on this is House and Thirteen. As I am nearing the end, I doubt I'll add any others (such as Chameron), though maybe towards the end. I will keep it in mind for my potential fanfics though.

Without further a due:

**Chapter 8: An Answer…in part**

"Hantavirus," stated House, pacing in front of the team, "Spread by infected rodents in a primarily respiratory manner. For a while, the virus disappeared but recently rats on a Native American reserve were found to be infected. Ada's classmate brought in a rat for show-and-tell. This rat was a gift from his grandparents, who live on a Native American reserve. Guess they don't read the newspaper."

"Wow, so what do we…"

House interrupted Taub, "Test Ada for Hantavirus and then begin treatment immediately; IV ribavirin, 33 mg/kg. Foreman and Kutner, hunt down that rat and test it and the owners for the virus."

House then headed for Ada's room to tell Thirteen

***

Thirteen saw her husband limp down the hallway with a smile on his face. "Why would he be…" Suddenly, Thirteen realized why House was so happy. She ran up to him. "Did you figure…"

"Hantavirus," said House, scooping her into a hug, "Her classmate brought an infected rat to school for show-and-tell. Taub just put her on IV ribavirin, which will immediately go into affect, and after a couple weeks of dialysis, she should be fine." He kissed Thirteen softly on the lips. While the two week heading back to Ada's room, Taub stopped them.

"You were right. The rat tested positive for Hantavirus. Weird thing is, the kid and his parents were unaffected."

Thirteen looked puzzled, "Why would Ada contract the virus then? She was exposed to the rat for far less time yet the owner was exposed everyday and remained healthy."

House suddenly made a realization. "No, the owner was fine because his immune system was fine. That means that Ada is…" He was interrupted by frantic beating coming from Ada's room and calls for diazepam. Thirteen, Taub, and House rushed over to her room to find Ada seizing. House solemnly finished his thought:

"Ada is infected by something else too."

Author's Note: A little bit of a cliffhanger, but I'll update very soon. Hope you liked it!


	10. Chapter 9: Curse that Cuddy

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a Merck Manuel and an imagination.

Author's Note: Here's another update. Reviews appreciated.

**Chapter 9: Curse that Cuddy!**

House walked silently and sadly down the aisle of the church. The air was smothering, filled with sadness and despair. His suit pants were wrinkled and his eyes were swollen. He was so worn physically and emotionally, but he continued to walk towards the alter.

As he walked, Thirteen came into view. She was hugging her black sweater tightly around herself and sobbing. He approached her and she recognized his presence without looking up. They continued to proceed down the aisle, never touching.

Finally, they made it to the front, where the preacher stood over the casket. It was a small casket, one that signified the early ending of life. House felt his legs become heavy and his throat become tight as he went to look inside.

She lay there, pale but angelic, Ada, his daughter, his baby girl, his world. She was dressed in a yellow dress covered in flowers and bows. This was always her favorite dress. She had always said the color yellow made everyone happy. But nothing was happy now; nothing would ever be happy again.

House smelt the incense as the funereally procession led him blindly to the cemetery. There was a deep, fresh hole in the middle of the eerie field. Headstones were everywhere, but the dates were very different: 1930-2010, 1926-1989. The one in front of the new hole was different… 2009-2014. The years were too close.

The coffin was slowly lowered into the ground. All around him were his coworkers, in tears. His mother was standing next to Thirteen now, and the latter collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

House gazed into the whole as he watched his daughter lowered into her grave, and he swore he heard, "Daddy, why me?"

***

House woke up in a cold sweat with tears in his eyes. His heart was beating uncontrollably. He focused his eyes and slowly examined his surroundings. He was in his bedroom, Thirteen was cuddled up against his side… it was all a dream…a nightmare.

House slipped slowly out of bed, careful not to wake Thirteen. He walked barefoot down the hallway and into his daughter's room. It looked the same as it had earlier this week. Her bed spread was messy, her dolls lay on the floor, and an open book lay on her dresser. But it seemed so empty without her.

House sat down slowly on the bed and put his head in his hand. Bending over, he tried to think about different diseases. He couldn't focus though. No matter what he did, there was always a twist. Why could he cure every other patient but not his own daughter? Why was bad karma hurting his child and not him?

House felt a slight shift in weight on the bed. He glanced up to see Thirteen at his side, with a weak but comforting smile. "You can't sleep either?" she asked, thinking about how Cuddy had ordered they go home for a while, just to sleep.

House shook his head. "I just keep wondering… why I can't fix her. I need this answer. I need to save her." Thirteen wiped tears from her eyes. There were no words that could comfort House now, and she knew that. She just leaned against House's chest as they both thought about their daughter for the rest of the night.

***

House's eyes fluttered open. He must had dozed off at some point. It was 6:00, perfect time for he and Thirteen to get back to the hospital. We he went to wake her up, he found that she was already in the process of dressing and had laid an outfit out for him. In a matter of minutes, they were both ready and had headed into the car. Thirteen had been deep in thought all morning. Finally, she spoke:

"We have to think more precisely about what Ada was doing before she got sick. There must be something that we're just missing."

House began to think of what his daughter had been up to the past couple days, "The teachers didn't mention any change in activities or illnesses of other children. Taub and Kutner rechecked the classroom and found nothing. Wilson went to Friendly's and inspected it himself, so we can be sure that's not the problem. You know how anal he can be." Thirteen mustered a smile. "She came to the hospital but that's nothing out of the norm. I made sure she wasn't exposed to anyone with infectious symptoms, so I don't know how…" Suddenly, it hit him. The clinic.

_Flashback_

_Earlier that week_

_House led Ada through the doors of the clinic. Cuddy had roped him into going and Ada's excitement for going hadn't helped. He looked at the folders for something he could take her to. Flu, no… stomach virus, no… STD testing, definitely no… broken arm, that'd do._

_As they walked to Room 4, a very sick looking patient was being led down the hallway by a nurse. House looked at him quizzically and the nurse replied, "We're transferring him to the main hospital. He's far too sick to be in the clinic." House nodded and continued on, paying little thought to a sick person in a hospital. For a minute he forgot his five-year-old was there and that patient was coughing, sneezing, and gagging all over the place._

"It's that good-for-nothing clinic." House said in shock, "Curse that Cuddy and her insistence!"

Author's Note: I'm going to try to finish this story this weekend or at least before the end of next week. Hope you are enjoying it. :)


	11. Chapter 10: Patient Hunting

**Chapter 10: Patient Hunting**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except a Merck Manuel and an imagination

Author's Note: Here's a short one, but everything will come together here. Final chapter is next. Enjoy!

"We're going patient hunting," started House, "I need you to locate this nurse first though." He posted a picture of a young, blond nurse, which he had acquired after searching through all of the staff pictures that morning. Everyone looked at House quizzically. "Jessica Lowry. Don't worry. I'm not cheating on Thirteen. This nurse transported a highly contagious, highly ill patient from the clinic. This patient is the one who infected Ada in passing." Nobody moved. "Everyone take their time. It's not like we have my dying five-year-old daughter to worry about or anything."

With that, the team jumped out of their seats to find the nurse. They located her in the maternity ward. "Jessica," Foreman started, "A few days ago you were transporting an ill patient from the clinic. You passed Dr. House and his daughter with him. We need the name of the patient. He seems to have infected the girl."

"Um, I want to say his name was Richard Walters… yep, that's it. Richard."

"Thank you," said Kutner, as he and the rest of the doctors left.

***

"Richard Walters, 32-years-old, diagnosed with adenovirus two days ago."

House considered this. "Adenovirus. Can cause mild respiratory symptoms. Ada was found to be coughing and sneezing today. Also, in some cases, can cause hemorrhaging. Well, considering she had two other illnesses that could cause internal bleeding, I'd figure Ada had a good chance. Start treating her for adenovirus right away. She'll be fine soon…this time for sure." House smiled and the team sighed, relieved that she was going to be okay.

House limped towards the door to go tell Thirteen. Cuddy heading up the hallway.

"Did you figu..."

"Yep, this is all your beloved clinics fault," House said, leaving a confused Cuddy behind.


	12. Author's Note 2

Author's Note:

Sorry. No new chapter quite yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to end this. I do have a question though.

I was thinking, as I am just about done with this fanfic, I would begin another one. I really like to write the Thirteen/House pairing and very much like writing Ada in there too. I am contemplating a "prologue" of sorts, detailing how Thirteen and House got together, their marriage, Thirteen's pregnancy, etc.

There's no exciting plot I have planned other than this (though, you never know :) but I will deal a lot with character emotions throughout these events. For those of you who have inquired, I will include other ships in her too, though of course to a lesser extent than Thouse.

Any thoughts? Feedback is greatly helpful

-biologygirl06-


	13. Chapter 11: CT Scans Can Wait

Disclaimer: I own nothing except a Merck Manuel and an imagination

Author's Note: Okay, here's the last chapter. Thank you so much to all of the reviewers out there for the great feedback. It really helped a lot. I am going to start working on the story from Author's Note 2 and look forward to reading and writing more fanfics. Back to this chapter. I couldn't really think of a way to end this, but anyway, hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 11: CT Scans Can Wait**

A car pulled gently into a handicap parking space at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. The passengers were shocked.

"Well, that was… uneventful," commented a confused Thirteen.

"Hey, I have precious cargo in here," House responded, gesturing towards her and his healthy daughter, "Plus, I did pinky-promise you last week that I'd be more careful."

Thirteen chuckled and turned to Ada, "How long do you think this new and mature Daddy will last?" Simultaneously, they responded, "A week." House shrugged.

"Anyway, my precious cargo," he said to Ada, "I'll race you to the front door."

"Daddy, we both know you can't beat me. I'm the fastest kindergartener in the school!"

"But there you are wrong, my daughter. Because I have this!" he then pulled a blanket off a mysterious lump in the backseat, revealing his razor scooter. Ada smiled widely, leapt out of the car, and began to race towards the door. House whizzed right after her.

"Be careful. This is a parking lot!" called Thirteen after them. She sighed and mumbled to herself, "A week, a minute. Pot-ah-to, pot-uh-to."

***

Reaching the front door panting, Ada swung it open and headed towards the elevator. Stopping short, she just avoided running into Cuddy…again.

"Well, I see your feeling much better," Cuddy smiled. And that was true. Ada had made the ideal recovery. Her kidneys had recovered and the heart tissue was growing back just fine. After a few days on the proper treatment, the legions began to heal on her nerves, and she was able to walk a couple days after she left the hospital. Of course, she was now known to be more prone to lymphocytosis, so Thirteen and House would always have to watch her well if she was sick; but other than that, all Ada was left with were some sparkly bandages covering where she had been attached to the machines.

"Sorry Dr. Cuddy," Thirteen said, pulling House by the jacket, as if he was a naughty schoolboy, "House decided to act five again, and Ada, really being five, joined right in."

"No, it's alright. I'm actually just glad to see her back to normal." Thirteen smiled.

"Well, after all, it's YOUR clinic's fault. You should probably close it down for a month… no, two months, for sterilization. I don't know what I'd do without my clinic duty for two months, but if it's for the good of mankind…"

"You, clinic, 2 o'clock," Cuddy interrupted, heading to her office. Turning around she added, "And don't send Dr. HADLEY-House to pretend to be just Dr. House. That only worked once."

"Shucks," House said, only to see Ada pulling on his jacket.

"Come on Daddy. There's probably a new case. Maybe they'll need a CT scan and then you can take…"

House put his hand over her mouth to stop her babbling, "Whoa, Shortstuff. I think you've seen enough medical stuff first hand to last you at least the rest of the week. How about we head down to the café before we go upstairs."

Ada looked down the hallway into the café's dessert stand. "You're right, Daddy. There's bound to be other CT scans. Carpe diem before the ice cream melts," smiled Ada.

Then the happy, now healthy girl led her parents quickly to the café, where three big bowls of chocolate ice cream had their names on it.


End file.
